Business View Civil Municipal - Sept 2023

94 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 an emphasis on well-maintained roads and community facilities. “We believe in taking care of what we have, and I think that shows on the outside of our streets and our government buildings, and it also shows in the places that you can’t see, the underground sanitary sewer, the storm sewer, things like that,” notes the mayor. Onalaska is currently in the process of bringing fiber to all areas of the city, working with internet providers TDS and Metronet to ensure both homes and businesses have access to this crucial utility. Allocating 58% of the municipal budget to emergency services, Smith highlights that a significant focus is also placed on safety. With a police department, and a combination full-time and part-time fire department, Onalaska is able to deliver a high caliber of professional service without burdening taxpayers excessively. “If you look at our costs per capita, compared to other surrounding municipalities, we’re really getting a good value for the money that our taxpayers are paying to support that service, with excellent response time and care to the people that they’re serving. We do work cooperatively with our surrounding neighbors. We have some auto aid agreements, we have mutual aid agreements, we’re always working together as best we can to most efficiently respond when the need is there,” she asserts. Onalaska’s Diverse Housing Development and Thriving Business Community In terms of development, Katie Aspenson, Planning Director says that the city is seeing monumental housing growth, especially in multi-family units over the past three years. “We recognize that Onalaska is a place where people want to be,” she remarks. “We recently had a housing study completed and it showed that we need more housing. So, what we’re doing to the best of our ability, is providing that for new residents. With new residents often come new businesses.” Onalaska has welcomed 3 new subdivisions